The story
Read it all →How Trenton came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Trenton.
Settled as Lewisburg in 1796, and incorporated in 1840. The city was renamed after Trenton, New Jersey in 1819.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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History · Trenton
Trenton dates to 1796, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1895 on and the census since 1830.
1796founded
0on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Quick answers
How Trenton began
When was Trenton founded?
1796
Trenton dates its founding to 1796 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1830.
First census: 178 in 18302020 census: 326230 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1819.The full story ↓
What stands out about Trenton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Trenton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 653 in 1910; 326 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1895 to 1909, drew every building in Trenton.Deep rootsEstablished in 1796: 230 years of Trenton.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Trenton’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Trenton’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.People over time
Trenton, census by census
Peaked at 653 in 1910; 326 people lived here in 2020.
17 censuses, 1830–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Trenton’s Wikipedia page.
Every building
Trenton, building by building, 1895–1909
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1895Sheet 1 of 1Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Trenton, 1796 to 1951
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 18th century
- 1796FoundingTrenton is established
- 19th century
- 1819Post officeThe Trenton post office opens
- 1855
Born hereJosephine Leavell Allensworth is born here - 20th century
- 1905Born hereFrank Camp is born here
- 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 653
- 1951
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade
Trenton, decade by decade
2025
2025
2025
2017
2015
2004On the map
Trenton on the map, 1951 to 1974
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Trenton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1951Hammacksville sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Trenton.
Famous people
See all →2 famous people were born in Trenton
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Questions about Trenton’s history
What year was Trenton founded?
In 1796, according to Wikidata. Trenton’s post office opened in 1819, and the census of 1830 counted 178 people here.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.